Study: Energy Drinks Increase Heart Contractions

Energy
drinks may cause serious increases in heart contraction rates within an hour of
drinking the beverage, according to new research presented at a medical
conference Monday.

The
authors are worried what these types of side effects might do to the hearts of
teens and young adults over long periods of time.

"Until
now, we haven't known exactly what effect these energy drinks have on the
function of the heart," Dr. Jonas Dorner, a radiology resident of the
cardiovascular imaging section at the University of Bonn in Germany, said in a
statement. "There are concerns about the products' potential adverse side
effects on heart function, especially in adolescents and young adults, but
there is little or no regulation of energy drink sales."

For
the study, Dorner and his colleagues took cardiac MRI scans to look at the
hearts of 18 healthy, mostly male volunteers, who were an average age of 27.5
years old.

Each
participant underwent an MRI before and one hour after consuming an energy
drink containing taurine and caffeine. A
cardiac MRI uses radio waves, magnets and a computer to create pictures of the
heart to look at its structure and function.

When
comparing baseline MRI readings to scans taken after consuming an energy drink,
researchers found significant increases in peak strain and peak systolic strain
in the heart's left ventricle. Those are two measures of how the heart contracts or contractility. The
left ventricle is responsible for receiving oxygen-rich blood from the lungs
and pumping it into the aorta, which distributes the blood throughout the body.

"We
don't know exactly how or if this greater contractility of the heart impacts
daily activities or athletic performance," said Dorner. "We need
additional studies to understand this mechanism and to determine how long the
effect of the energy drink lasts."

The study remains ongoing. Dorner added that more research might show whether these
short-term contractility changes could affect people with heart disease.

Dorner
pointed out the amount of caffeine is typically up to three times higher in
energy drinks than in other drinks like coffee or cola, and high intake of
caffeine may trigger rapid heart rate, palpitations, rises in blood pressure
and in severe cases, seizures or sudden death.

He
advises children and people with cardiac arrhythmias to avoid energy drinks
entirely.